This episode of the Trail Lunchbox welcomes two guests doing critical work to help our community stay healthy and prepared during wildfire season in western Montana. We’re talking all things Wildfire Smoke Ready Week—what it is, why it matters, and how you can take simple, affordable steps to protect yourself, your family, and even your pets when the smoke rolls in.
Joining us in the studio:
🔹 Amy Cilimburg, Executive Director of Climate Smart Missoula
Amy has spent the last decade leading Climate Smart Missoula, working on climate resilience, air quality, and community health. She's a long-time advocate for preparing our neighborhoods for the realities of climate change and helps Missoulians take smart, simple steps to deal with wildfire smoke.
🔹 Carrie Mueller, Air Quality Specialist at Missoula Public Health
Carrie began working on wildfire smoke in 2023 and has quickly become a go-to expert in air quality monitoring, PurpleAir sensors, and making air health information accessible to everyone. She’s focused on helping all Missoula residents—especially vulnerable groups—reduce their smoke exposure.
🌀 What We Cover in This Episode:
✅ What Wildfire Smoke Ready Week is and why we’re now in its fifth year
✅ How smoke affects your body—lungs, heart, immune system, and more
✅ Understanding PM2.5: the microscopic smoke particles that enter your bloodstream
✅ Why pets are just as vulnerable to smoke as we are
✅ Best ways to clean your indoor air—whether you rent, own, or live tiny
✅ What a HEPA air filter is, and how to get one affordably
✅ How to build a DIY box fan/filter at home
✅ The importance of MERV-13 filters for HVAC systems
✅ Tools like Fire.AirNow.gov and MontanaWildfireSmoke.org to check current smoke levels
✅ How and where to find Clean Air Centers in Missoula and the Bitterroot
✅ $100 rebates available now for HEPA filters via Northwestern Energy
✅ How to help your neighbors prepare, especially older adults and vulnerable folks
🌲 Wildfire Smoke Ready Week Events (July 12–19):
Catch the Climate Smart and Public Health teams out in the community all week long!
Clean Air Centers are now open in Missoula Public Library, Lolo School, Seeley Lake High School, and libraries in Darby, Hamilton, and Stevensville.
We can't stop wildfire smoke from coming—but we can make a plan. Visit MontanaWildfireSmoke.org for everything you need to know about protecting your health this season, from checking air quality reports to cleaning your indoor air affordably.
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🌲 The Trail Listening Post is a podcast series that archives the real-time radio moments that make Missoula, Missoula - live, local, and straight from the airwaves of Trail 103.3, a station as unique as the community we serve.